America's Constitution - by Akhil Reed Amar (Paperback)

About the Book

The author, a member of the Yale Law School faculty, presents a provocative examination of the historical forces--some quite surprising--that have molded the U.S. Constitution.

Book Synopsis

This "authoritative [and] important" (The New York Times Book Review) "biography" of America's framing document explores topics ranging from presidential power and freedom of speech to birthright citizenship and beyond, explaining not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it.

"Elegantly written, thorough but concise, and consistently enlightening . . . an indispensable reference."--Scott Turow, The Washington Post Book World (Best Books of the Year)

WINNER OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION'S SILVER GAVEL AWARD

In America's Constitution, eminent constitutional-law scholar Akhil Reed Amar gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world's great political texts. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, Amar reveals how a document that was in large part drafted by slaveholding landed gentry could later be instrumental in the emancipation of slaves, the enfranchisement of women, and many other modern expansions of liberty and equality. Amar celebrates the Constitution's remarkable durability, noting how debate over its central role in American government remains vital and dynamic more than two centuries after it was written.

Ambitious, evenhanded, accessible, and often surprising, America's Constitution is an invaluable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.

Review Quotes

"Authoritative, important . . . a masterly showcase of scholarship . . . Amar has a knack for assembling surprising bits of historical context that freshen one's outlook."--The New York Times Book Review

"Elegantly written, thorough but concise, and consistently enlightening . . . an indispensable reference."--Scott Turow, The Washington Post Book World (Best Books of the Year)

"Amar writes with fluidity and grace. . . . [America's Constitution is] a book of large provocations, liberally peppered with surprising observations, small but fascinating insights, and unexpected connections."--National Review

"As a reference book, it is superb. It is the fullest and most reliable explanation of the written Constitution that we have. [Amar's] case for the fundamentally popular and democratic origins of the Constitution gives his book a special distinction as a work of history."--Gordon S. Wood

"Scholarly, reflective and brimming with ideas . . . Rarely do you find a book that embodies scholarship at its most solid and invigorating; this is such a book."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The most fascinating character in American history--our enduring Constitution-- finally has its great and deserving biographer. And what a biographer Akhil Reed Amar is! He writes like Jefferson, thinks like Madison, and speaks like Lincoln. Everyone who appreciates the Constitution must read this wonderful biography. It is indispensable to an understanding of the constitutional world in which we live."--Alan Dershowitz, author of Preemption

About the Author

Akhil Reed Amar graduated from Yale College and Yale Law School, and has been a member of the Yale Law School faculty since 1985. He is the author of The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction and has written widely on constitutional issues for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. He lives in Woodbridge, Connecticut, with his wife and three children.